Smoke is blowing into the state from Southern California wildfires. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has been monitoring the situation and says there is some good news.
Michael Graves is an air quality forecaster with the state. While he said smoke from wildfires burning in the LA area has made its way into Arizona, “winds are really helping to push the smoke out of the area.”
Graves said current measurements show that levels of particulate matter in the air aren’t dangerous for most people.
“If you’re particularly sensitive to particulate pollution, you might experience shortness of breath,” he said. “It might aggravate lung disease.”
The plan, he said, is to notify the public if the risk gets any worse but levels aren’t expected to rise enough for widespread warnings.
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About 160 firefighters continue to battle the Flood Fire in Pinal County. The blaze has burned 4,400 acres so far and is 30% contained.
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The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management has set aside $2 million to fund wildfire prevention projects covering 3,000 acres statewide. -
Millions of dollars spent to hold back the San Francisco Peaks after two years of post-wildfire flooding -
Crews were trying to contain a brush fire Sunday that prompted evacuations in the Gila River Indian Community southwest of Phoenix, authorities said. -
Members from Arizona’s congressional delegation sent a letter to President Joe Biden last month, urging him to issue a major disaster declaration on the San Carlos Apache Tribe’s behalf. But that request is still under review.
